2012 Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll Announced

Seven programs make a splash as newcomers

September 11, 2012

By -, -

By Chad Waller, Director of Communications & Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - No. 1-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) was one of just three schools to hold its spot in the second regular-season edition of the 2012 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. In addition, there were seven newcomers that jumped in this week, with three of those schools breaking a four-or-more year absence.

Newcomers No. 14 Thomas (Ga.), No. 18 Lee (Tenn.) and No. 20 Robert Morris (Ill.) highlight the list. Robert Morris snapped the longest absence with its last ranking on Sept. 16, 2003 when the Eagles were No. 23. The last ranking for Thomas was on Nov. 4, 2003, when the Night Hawks were 23rd. Lee checks in after its last mention on Sept. 16, 2008 when it was tied at No. 19.

Lindsey Wilson was the unanimous selection again, with 560 total points, to take the top position for the eighth-straight poll. The Blue Raiders own the nation's longest winning streak at 28-straight matches dating back to the start of the 2011 season. One more win would push Lindsey Wilson to the second-longest winning streak in NAIA men's soccer history. The team goes for that next win tonight against Campbellsville (Ky.) at 7 p.m. CDT.

Second-ranked Rio Grande (Ohio) bounces up three spots with 515 points. The position is the highest for the RedStorm since they were No. 1 to end the 2010 season. Despite a 2-1 loss in the NAIA Game of the Week to Lindsey Wilson on Sept. 8, Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) moves up to No. 3 with 514 points.

No. 4 Belhaven (Miss.) and No. 5 Science & Arts (Okla.) each shift two positions. Belhaven moved up after its fifth-consecutive win on Sept. 8 to open up the year, while the Drovers dropped down after recording its second-straight tie.

Rio Grande joins No. 15 Texas at Brownsville as the biggest movers within the poll with three improvements. The Scorpions are 1-0-3 on the year, earning a tie against then-No. 10 Missouri Valley on Sept. 4.

The Southern States Athletic Conference again tops all conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups with five teams in the Top 25: Auburn Montgomery, Belhaven, No. 8 Southern Poly (Ga.), Lee and No. 21 Mobile (Ala.). Five other conferences and the Unaffiliated Group of the TranSouth/Frontier Conferences landed a pair of teams in the Top 25.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conference/independents/unaffiliated groups. The third regular-season poll will be announced on Sept. 18.NOTES:(All information dates back to 2000) Top-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and No. 2 Rio Grande (Ohio) are from the same conference - the Mid-South Conference... Lindsey Wilson increases the difference between second-place Rio Grande for the most all-time No. 1 rankings as the Blue Raiders stand with 39 - Rio Grande is at 35, and is followed by Bethel (Tenn.) (11), Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (9) and Hastings (Neb.) (8)... Fifteen of 23 conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups are represented... Through three polls (including preseason), there have been 34 programs ranked... Rio Grande has been ranked in the top 10 for the last 39-straight polls, dating back to the start of the 2009 season... Overall, there have been 16 different teams to claim the No. 1 spot... Lindsey Wilson holds the distinction of being consecutively ranked the longest among active schools - 60-straight polls, dating back to the 2007 Preseason Top 25 Poll... Rio Grande is next in line with 53, Belhaven (Miss.) at 26 and Mobile (Ala.) at 25... Kansas Wesleyan had its streak of 25-straight weeks of being ranked stopped in this poll, which was tied for the third-longest active span... Since 2000, two teams have rattled through the entire season ranked No. 1 - Bethel in 2009 and Rio Grande during the 2004 campaign.